Wichita eagle., 1887-10-21
THE SILVER IMAGE.


"Not tonight 1 answer.
sob, bahl Ia vida es un fandango y"-
"You think am great fool not TO dance
| at the ball to night, eli, Florian2"
"Well, yes"
Florian and | are both attaches OF a lega-
| ton in Lima 1t was my first diplomatic ap-
pointmens and some years ago now.
"Perhaps, amigo; but / have much writing
| to DO and"-
"Writing, Chef What viii Josefina and
| Mercedes, and Carmen tand Alicita, and Do
| lores, Paquita and Consuelo do when you are
| not therel"
"Run You and console them," laugh.
"Not until / frighten You into accompany
| ing me-"
"How soF'
"Oh, heard today the legend attached to
| this house; it is enough to make the blood run
| cold!"
swell, am warm; tell it"
"You know the house is over 800 years oldi
| Well, it was built by two brothers-Jews;
men OF immense wealth, obtained by means
| OF their silver mines, especially the Mira
! flores
"Ah, that mine which is now fooded and
| which 10 science has been able to drain"
"Preciselv Well, the Jesuits, you know
| Florian blinks his eyes expressiveiy-"they
say that Senior Jose, the younger brother,
had made for himself an image in silver Of
the Blessed Virgin weighing forty pounds;
| that every morning In one of the rooms yon-
| der he fell upon his knees and, after the Gus
tom of the Jews, said his prayers, and that
Immediately afterward he took a bunch of
rods, sharply tipped-fancyl and beat the
image with the frenzy Of q mailman. Every
| morning, they said. as the Quarraquirri
tapped three, tie Jew set to work on his
damnable task. Oh, say, look here, why do
| you startI' Florian pauses.
"Did Il"
"Yes. Good-goodi You are already be-
coming frightened"
Maybe; continue
swell, TO make long story short, you SEQ,
| the Jesuits-they are very clever-they seize
| Senior Jose and put him in prison. Senior
| Jacob. he is very clever also; he offers the
| Jesuits money, bat they say no, that i'll Spain
alone can so heinous an offense DO tried or
| receive punishment or pardon. Senior Jacob
asks for the time to- go TO Spain to intercede
| for his brother, and offers large sum for
| the privilege; not large enough, however; he
| doubles it; no; trebles snd quadrupies it, al
most bocgaring himself to do 50 and at last
| tie Jesuits accept his propositions. He sets
| forth--but before he goes he spends night
| away from home, and the day after he has
| sailed the Miratiores mine-the source OF all
his wealth-is found 20 be flooded. As you
know, toasy it remains the same
"And Senior JOSEF
"Ah, you are anIious Well, what do you
Think The ship was not out OF sight OF the
| port OF Callao before Senior Jose, together
with his image, was walled up-think OF it
immured, buried alivel-in the room III which
no was said to l1ave daily beaten It,"
"What.'
"Oh. but YES, I assure you; and all those III
| credible noises that we have heard are the
| spirit OF Senior joss begging somo charitable
| person to come and release him from his
| Charnel house. Say, you will coma TO the
ball now, chr
"By no means"
ooh, you arc fool.'
| "Oh, well, to morrow you tell me how
| MANY duennas you have eiuded. aad how
many delightful waists you have clasped."
Florian has left me.
Iblow out tie candles; the curtains that d.
| vide the enormous room In two parts wave
gently back and forth in the breeze lean
nv head upon the window ledge, for the
| jalousies are open. and tie roses-the splendid
| flowers Of Lima's patron saint-come strag-
Cling in, freishting the sea wind with their
| luscious sweetness.
| A fortnight ago was awakened at a little
| before in the morning by a strange, shrill
noise, something like the metallic whr Of a
bundle of rods striking against hard and
ringing substance. In moment more the
tapestry swung out far into the wind and l
heard the quarraquirri on the mud roof tap
| of o'clock, the bells Of the convent rang
QUE and presently, Us the slow dawn crept in
at the easement, heard again that metallic
sound, growing fainter, fainter, indjstinguist-
ably lost somewhere down tho broad corridor.
| l arose and pressed my hand 60 my forehead
it was cold and wet. Ny hands treinbled as
struck light.
And now, thirteen times more in succession.
had this ohing happened to me.
1t annoyed and puzzled me.
| am not superstitious person; neverthe-
less it would have been folly not TO recognize
the condolences between any experiences and
the story Florian had told mo.
As have said, l had the writing TO do, but
| I had determined TO sit up the entire night in
order that the force of habit should not have
the poyver 10 influence me In awakening at
| any special hour.
! / had made up my mind to givs to the
| thing. whatever it was, the full benefit of all
my senses, unincumbered by the drowsiness
and mental ineficiency incident to tbs first
| moments after nights sleep.
| II the house-a superbly largo one, by the
by, with its grand branching staircases and
wide, cool galleries-was haunted, well, there:
/ l would find out what thing-Spirit, flesh.
| tangible or uutangible-it harbored
Haunted
laughed aloud.
II was an odd experience to Gud myself sit
ting UP OF night in Lima to watch for a
ghost
The moon tnrned around the corner and
| threw now but little beam in at my window
over the topof the cathedral roof. The breeze
| from tie sea had ceased. Florian, too, had
| come home. Seeing that my candies were
not lighted. he had taken for granted that
was asleep and had not parted the curtains
between our rooms.
Did feel drowsyi
Suely-yes.
But | / fled nv head npd by the moonlight
| looked at my watch IL vas half after two.
laid it upon the table before ms.
lighted candle.
Ii ghosts absolutely refuss to demonstrate
| themselves save III the darkness, then tonight
| should not hear Senior Jose beating the Sill
yer image OF the Blessed Virgin nor
| Harki
Oh, bshi The forlorn tingls OF . FAR Of
lute.
/ set the candle nearer TO my eyes as sat
leaning my chin in my palms
| Therel